The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece, in particular a wristwatch, comprising manual control means for the selection of different modes and an analog display provided with indicators moved separately by electric motors to indicate the time on a dial in a time mode and other information in one or more other modes, said indicators comprising at least an hour hand and a minute hand.
An astronomical wristwatch having these features is described in the patent application EP 949 549 and by means of hour and minute hands can display various astronomical indications in various modes selected by the user. Apart from the time mode, the main function of each of the other modes is to indicate through a hand the direction of a star of the solar system in relation to the zodiac, which is shown on the dial. The watch can also display dates, in particular by means of a numeric display, and provide the above-mentioned astronomical indications for past or future dates.
Moreover, electronic timepieces with electro-optical cell numeric displays are known that are capable of displaying a wide variety of astronomical magnitudes as well as dates. Descriptions of such timepieces are to be found in the patent publications U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,663, U.S. Pat. No. 6,580,663 and JP 56-074683, for example. However, these displays are essentially complex and difficult to read, such that they are not always readily understood.